Hudson County Prosecutor's Office Detective Joseph Walker said he cried, laughed and smiled when he was found not guilty Wednesday of charges he murdered a man in a Maryland road rage incident.

"I did a little bit of all three, but there was definitely some crying," said Walker, who racked up about $250,000 in legal bills fighting the charges and has been suspended without pay since the June 8, 2013, incident in which he fatally shot Joseph Harvey Jr., 36, of Halethorpe, Md.

"It was elation and a weight just came off my shoulders, that's the best way to describe it," said Walker who has been with the Prosecutor's Office nine years and was a Newark police officer 10 years before that. "When I turned to look at my wife, she had the biggest smile I've ever seen, and a face full of tears."

Things have been hard financially for Walker, his wife, 12-year-old daughter, 7-year-old son and his 4-year-old "baby girl." His wife is a nurse who normally worked three to four 12-hour shifts per week but when he lost his pay, she began working five to six such shifts per week.

"It has been hell," said Walker who hopes the Prosecutor's Office will now convert his suspension to "with pay" pending administrative proceedings for his full reinstatement. "Things have been very hard, even just for the basics. We struggled quite a bit, but my coworkers and my union brothers and sisters, they were there for us."

Walker said after inadvertently drifting into Harvey's lane on a turn, Harvey, whose passenger was Adam Pidel, tried to run him off the road, drove beside his minivan calling him the N-word and threatened to kill him. He said someone in the car threw a "huge," full Monster Energy drink can at Walker's minivan, denting it

"It hit right where my 4-year-old was sitting and I thank God it hit the body of the van and not the window," Walker said. "That can hits her on the head or face, my baby is hurt. These guys were stopping at nothing."

Walker said he displayed his badge but Harvey eventually ran his minivan off the road and while he was checking for damage, Harvey and Pidel got out of their vehicle and began approaching him.

"They were coming at a very fast pace, closed fists, and it was obvious these guys weren't coming to shake hands," Walker said. "My wife was on the phone to 911. My kids were scared because of the whole roadway part of it, them trying to run us off the road. They were crying. My son is autistic, so he was hysterical."

The detective said that while working he is either alone or with his partner. This was different.

"Now it is me, my wife and my kids and I am all that stands between these guys and them," Walker said. "They were cursing and calling us the N-word. I identified myself, I showed my badge and they saw my gun, and continued to come. At that point, I knew I had no other options."

Walker shot Harvey once in the leg and then twice more because he kept coming, he testified.

"Every day, having killed someone is something that is going to be on my mind," said Walker. "It was traumatic and it still is. I always hoped I would be one of those guys that retired and that was an action I never had to take. To get out of law enforcement as an old man and say, that is nothing I ever had to do."

Yesterday Walker's lawyers delivered a letter to Maryland prosecutors asking them to investigate Pidel's actions on that day.

"The State' Attorney's Office makes it appear as if one person was the aggressor — it was both of them equally responsible," Walker claimed. "At the very least there should be a grand jury investigation."

A state's attorney spokeswoman told the media there was no plan to prosecute Pidel and "There is no evidence Mr. Pidel committed any crime."

So far about $100,000 has been raised to help pay Walker's legal bills and the National Police Defense Fund continues to seek donations. To donate, contact the NPDF at (888) SAFECOP, or go to www.npdf.org.

Walker said waking up at home with his family yesterday felt a lot better than waking up has felt in a long time.

"My family is doing much better," the detective said. "When that weight came off me, I think it came off of them as well. It was different walking up this morning. I could see it everyone's faces."